Bridgestone concludes 60th anniversary year of motorsports activities in position to “challenge for excellence” in its next stage. -Sustainable global motorsports reinforcement -
Bridgestone Corporation today closed a successful 60th anniversary year of Bridgestone motorsports activities by celebrating a successful calendar of marquee events and reinforcing its passion toward the future of Bridgestone sustainable global motorsports.
1. Passion to Turn the World
Marking the 60th anniversary of our motorsports activities, Bridgestone is reaffirming its passion for motorsports and is determined to evolve these activities placing sustainability at the core. Bridgestone has developed a message “Passion to Turn the World” to illustrate Bridgestone’s passion to race, win, embrace the ultimate challenge, and accelerate innovation. The message also represents the passion to support a sustainable mobility society together with its partners through motorsports.
2. Reinforce sustainable global motorsports: “Mobile Laboratory”
Bridgestone is reinforcing its motorsport initiatives, returning to its origin as a tire manufacturer and restarting its journey for global motorsports. Through the 6o years of Bridgestone motorsport heritage, the company has refined through such challenge for excellence – our “Passion for Excellence” to pursue excellence in every moment, our tire development expertise, monozukuri (R&D and manufacturing) power, brand power, and talent. The focus in these areas makes up the foundation of Bridgestone’s premium tire business to this day. Using racing as a “mobile laboratory”, Bridgestone will refine technology in extreme conditions, evolving and connecting this innovation to the development of replacement tires for the future under the concept “From Circuit to Street”.
3. "ENLITEN®": Bridgestone's new premium in EV era – base technology for product design.
The focal point to evolve Bridgestone motorsports will be ENLITEN – our base technology for product design and our “new premium in the EV era”. ENLITEN realizes “ultimate customization” to not only meet customer needs for tires, but also to sharpen the edge in performance by customer and by vehicle type to inspire them and provide new value. By repeating the customization of motorsports tires to race conditions and enabling cars and drivers to maximize their performance, Bridgestone will realize the evolution of ENLITEN technology more quickly. Moreover, the company will transfer the technology to replacement tires, thereby expanding value creation.
4. Evolve sustainable premium brand
By demonstrating its challenge and pursuit of excellence, as well as its passion to race in motorsports, Bridgestone is looking ahead to build a “sustainable premium” brand. These efforts are designed to position Bridgestone as a brand that continues to empower each and all to achieve their best, which is essential to the future of mobility.
5. Accelerate Sustainability throughout the value chain
Bridgestone will seek to accelerate sustainability throughout the value chain where it “produces”, ”uses” and ”renews” tires to raw material. Bridgestone has targets to enhance and diversify renewable resources in its motorsports tires by aiming for 65% or more in ratio of recycled and renewable material. The company also aims to accelerate its initiatives toward carbon neutrality and a circular economy by pursuing the use of 100% renewable energy in its motorsports tire production plants, taking on the challenge of realizing carbon neutral transportation, and striving to realize chemical recycling.
6. 2023 sustainable global motorsports
- Bridgestone World Solar Challenge: Oct. 22 – 29, 2023
The company supports the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), a world-leading solar car race held in Australia, for which it has been the title sponsor since 2013. Bridgestone brought ENLITEN technology to motorsports through tires that used 63% recycled. and renewable materials*1 and realized carbon neutral in tire logistics.
- FIA ecoRally Cup: 6 races in 6 countries in EU region
Bridgestone became an official partner and sponsor of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup*2, an international competition for road production vehicles with an electric drivetrain organized by FIA. The number and venues of this event will be expanded in 2024 onwards, and Bridgestone will continues to support it with ENLITEN to promote the EV shift.
In addition to these, Bridgestone announced on December 7 that the FIA has confirmed Bridgestone as future sole tire supplier for ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from the 2026-2027 season*3, making the return to an FIA World Championship for the first time in a decade and a half. Through such supply arrangements with the FIA, Bridgestone will accelerate innovation throughout the value chain.
Comment from Shuichi Ishibashi, Member of the Board, Global CEO and Representative Executive Officer, Bridgestone Corporation:
“Motorsport has always been our passion and always will be. We will support and utilize sustainable global motorsports empowered by ENLITEN – “new premium in EV era” - to accelerate evolving all our operations and to become a “sustainable solution company”. Also, Bridgestone will reinforce sustainable global motorsports activities to empower each and all to achieve their best, and be essential to the future of mobility.”
Comment from Akio Kusano, Vice President and Senior Officer, Responsible for Product, Production Technology Development, Bridgestone Corporation:
“For Bridgestone, motorsports activity is our origin as a tire manufacturer and is a mobile laboratory. We continue to support the best performance of teams, drivers and cars and based on the concept of ”From Circuit to Street”, we will further development our motorsports tires used in the extreme conditions and thereby accelerate our agile tire technology development. Through these efforts, we will take our ENLITEN technology to the next stage to realize “ultimate customization” so that we can develop replacement tires that deliver new value to our customers and contribute the future mobility.
In addition to the sustainable global motorsports platforms listed above, Bridgestone also continues its broad and steady support of motorsports from four-wheels to motorcycle racing and eMotorsport, from top-level professional to grassroots amateur racing, and contribute to the expansion of motorsports fan base.
2023 AUTOBACS SUPER GT
- Teams equipped with Bridgestone tires won the 2023 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series in both the GT500 and GT300 categories.
- This is the eighth consecutive time a Bridgestone tyre-equipped team has won the series championship in the GT500 class and it is the fourth time since 2019 that teams have won the series championship in both the GT500 and GT300 classes.
Super Taikyu Series
- Bridgestone confirmed as official tire supplier from 2024 and also supported for emergency tire supply to the series from this year.
NTT INDYCAR® SERIES
- With Bridgestone's Firestone brand as exclusive tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES in North America, Bridgestone Americas supplied Firestone Firehawk race tires with sidewalls made of natural rubber derived from the guayule desert shrub*4. In the 2023 INDYCAR season, alternate tires using guayule-derived natural rubber has been featured in all five street course races.
- Bridgestone has also extended the Firestone brand’s partnership with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as presenting sponsor and exclusive tire supplier of its top-tier development series, INDY NXT, and also Indy Autonomous Challenge – a racing series for autonomous race cars by Firestone. The growing series offers additional opportunities as a “mobile laboratory” to innovate new technology while supporting the growth of future drivers, engineers, and motorsports talent.
2023 FIM Endurance World Championship
- For motorcycle races, Bridgestone supported the Endurance World Championship (EWC), the world's foremost series of endurance motorcycle races by Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). It is the third consecutive year and the fourth time a Bridgestone tire-equipped team has won the championship*5.
- 16 consecutive years victory in Suzuka 8 hours endurance road race which is one of the 4 races of 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship.
Bridgestone eMotorsport Institute / POTENZA Circuit Challenge (PCC)
- Bridgestone started two new activities in Japan. The first is Bridgestone eMotorsport Institute, which will offer eMotorsport lessons by professional racing drivers.
- The second is the POTENZA Circuit Challenge, PCC, an open-participation event that offers beginners the opportunity to take their first drive around the circuit. Through such initiatives that combine real x digital racing, Bridgestone aims to broadcast the appeal and enjoyment of motorsport and to broaden the base of motorsport fans.
Bridgestone strives to achieve its corporate commitment for "Emotion: Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility" described in its "Bridgestone E8 commitment."*6 It also seeks to enjoy motorsport, earn emotion and empathy, and promote co-creation for sustainable future together with many partners.
*1 Bridgestone brings ENLITEN® technology to motorsports through tires using 63% recycled and renewable materials
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2023082901.html
Bridgestone celebrates the winner and the successful debut of ENLITEN® technology in the 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2023103001.html
*2 FIA PARTNERS WITH BRIDGESTONE ON ECORALLY CUP INITIATIVE
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/pdf/2023031002.pdf
*3 FIA confirms Bridgestone as future tire partner for ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from 2026-2027 season
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2023120702.html
*4 Firestone Race Tires Made with Natural Rubber from Desert Shrubs Reach One Year Milestone in Meeting Demanding Track Performance Requirements
https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023/bridgestone-mcgp-guayule-one-year-recap
*5 Bridgestone Motorcycle Tires Win the Title of 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2023091901.html
*6 Bridgestone established its corporate commitment, the "Bridgestone E8 Commitment" to realize its vision: "Toward 2050, Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company." This commitment will serve as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations. The "Bridgestone E8 Commitment" consists of 8 Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter "E" (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that it will commit to creating through Bridgestone-like "purpose" and "process", together with employees, society, its partners and customers to realize a sustainable society.
https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/pdf/2022030101.pdf
About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone is a global leader in tires and rubber building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company employs approximately 130,000 people globally and conducts business in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.